Howl's Moving Castle
1986
- blessing and cursing
- castles
- fantasy
- fiction
- witches
- wizards
- deamons
- magic
- sisters
- fantasy fiction
The story
As the oldest daughter, willful, outspoken Sophie knew that her life could lead to nothing but mistakes. When her father dies, her stepmother sends her two sisters out to make their fortunes while Sophie continues to work in the family hattery. As she whispers her thoughts to the hats she trims, the shop begins to grow in popularity, until she offends the Wicked Witch of the Waste. The witch casts a spell turning Sophie into an old woman. Sophie leaves the shop and happens upon the castle of the Wizard Howl. He has a reputation for finding young women and eating their hearts but that doesn't stop Sophie from moving in and turning the lives of the whole castle, including Howl's apprentice and his fire demon, upside down in a battle against the wicked witch and for Sophie's future.
What it’s like
Bright, wry and busy on the page, with a warm domestic clutter that feels like a hearth-lit kitchen full of hats, half-finished spells and a fire demon who sulks in the grate. Diana Wynne Jones writes in a brisk, sly, conversational voice, quick with asides and comic understatement, so the sensory world arrives through small concrete details: the smell of felt and ribbon in a hat shop, slimy green mud on the castle's moving stairs, the crackle of a temperamental hearth. Its vibe is cheerful, brisk and mischievous, with a current of tender melancholy under the jokes. It suits a rainy Sunday, a comfort reread, or a long-haul flight when you want something that keeps you smiling. Pacing is lively and episodic, with short chapters that tumble forward. The emotional register is warm and funny, and the arcs follow a prickly, self-doubting young woman learning to be bold about who she is, alongside a vain, dramatic wizard who slowly admits he cares. Intensity is low: some peril, a few sharp curses and a handful of frightening moments, but no gore and nothing sexual. It is for readers who love witty, big-hearted fantasy with a cosy, slightly chaotic house at its centre.
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